Definitions
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. In Roman antiquity, a gladiator who wore only a short tunic and carried a trident and a net. With these implements he endeavored to entangle and despatch his adversary, who was armed with helmet, shield, and sword.
Wiktionary
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. (Rom.Antiq.) A gladiator armed with a net for entangling his adversary and a trident for despatching him.
Etymologies
- From Latin rētiārius. (Wiktionary)
Examples
“With a movement unbelievably swift King was there ahead of him; and with another movement not so swift, but much more disconcerting, he threw his sheet as the retiarius used to throw a net in ancient Rome.”
“This was the undersized, unappealing slave I had encountered at Myrrha's house, now dressed up for his execution like a retiarius.”
“The old Romans knew how formidable, even in contest with a gladiator equipped with sword, helmet, and shield, was the almost naked _retiarius_ with his net in one hand and his three-pronged javelin in the other.”
“In the distance is the retiarius, who must fight Hyppolitus in his turn.”
“Myrmillo, were usual antagonists, and had their name from the secutor following the retiarius, who eluded the pursuit until he found an opportunity to throw his net to advantage.”
“The big gladiator sat still waiting for the _retiarius_ to finish him.”
“With a movement unbelievably swift King was there ahead of him; and with another movement not so swift, but much more disconcerting, he threw his sheet as the retiarius used to throw a net in ancient”
“Hawksley snatched up the bedclothes and threw them as the ancient retiarius threw his net.”
“I first saw him fight as a _secutor_, matched against a _retiarius_.”
Andivius Hedulio Adventures of a Roman Nobleman in the Days of the Empire
“No _retiarius_ ever netted him, yet the net seldom missed him more than half a hand's breadth.”
Andivius Hedulio Adventures of a Roman Nobleman in the Days of the Empire
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘retiarius’.
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Another 250 Spelling Words
Another range of words from the intermediate to the advanced speller's level.
cherimoya, parthenogenesis, sommelier, bupkis, kichel, voulge, indivisibility, retiarius, sewellel, vihuela, ossature, jalfrezi and 238 more...
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Kinds of Gladiators
Only recently discovered there were many varieties, apparently distinguished largely by how they were armed. Many of these were taken from this Wikipedia list of Roman gladiator types, and from thi...
murmillo, gallus, thraex, hoplomachus, retiarius, secutor, laquearius, Samnite, bestiarius, bustuarius, dimachaerus, eques and 8 more...
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The Grandeur That Was Rome
Friends, Romans, Countrymen: lend me your words
transpadane, palatine, capitoline, athenaeum, aedile, decemvir, cincinnatus, spqr, quirites, exedra, propraetor, Quirinal and 70 more...
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Manji's Random Wordlist
The title says it all
velour, vivacity, subterfuge, sable, divination, gentry, vindication, compendium, pistons, metamorphosis, methodology, polyphony and 91 more...
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Roman Gladiators
laquearius, hoplomachus, parmula, thraex, murmillo, secutor, retiarius, paegniarius, subligaculum, balteus, greave, manica and 36 more...
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Military
skunk works, armiger, coistrel, chasseur, bogatyr, vexillum, vivandière, cantiniere, sutler, fantassin, habergeon, cascabel and 65 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for retiarius.
bilby *laughs like a fat spider* Apr 17, 2009
qroqqa Best use of retiarius in a modern play:
HAROLD: He and his love are like a retiarius. Do you know what a retiarius is?
LOOSELEAF: He's a kind of gladiator who fights with a knife and a net and doesn't wear anything but a jockstrap.
HAROLD (amazed): How do you know that?
LOOSELEAF: You told me.
HAROLD: When?
LOOSELEAF: When we were up in the tree so long—with the bats.
HAROLD: Oh. I'd forgotten.
LOOSELEAF: Fourteen times you told me. I counted.
HAROLD: Really?
LOOSELEAF: You'd get this funny look in your eyes, and I'd say to myself, "Oh, Jesus—he's going to tell me what a retiarius is again."
—Kurt Vonnegut, Happy Birthday, Wanda June (The two men had been lost in the jungle after a plane crash.) Apr 17, 2009
chained_bear Plural retiarii. Apr 17, 2009